The past six months have been a whirlwind for the working class, and for our movement. We lost our campaign for a democratic socialist presidential nomination on the Democratic Party line, organized against the COVID-19 pandemic and economic fallout that has followed, and joined a reborn movement for Black liberation.
There are less than four weeks left in the 2020 general election. We are not fighting on terrain of our choosing. Without Bernie Sanders in the running, there is no choice at the top of the ticket that would advance our movement or constitute a “victory” for democratic socialism. That does not mean the outcome does not matter for our movement. A Trump loss would be unequivocally better for the working class and for our movement than a Trump re-election victory.
While our organization likely cannot determine the outcome alone, there is a broader left-progressive movement that might. Beyond the election itself, it is quite possible that mass mobilization in the streets and civil disobedience in the halls of power could make or break a serious authoritarian turn.
In the interest of doing all that we can to secure a Trump loss, and in joining with other organizations of the left, of people of color, of those who organize for racial and economic justice, we, the undersigned Democratic Socialists of America members, are committing to volunteer our time to phonebanking, textbanking, doorknocking, and otherwise organizing to defeat Trump over the next four weeks.
To add your name to this letter, please fill out the form below.
Signed,
Jefferson Hodge, Akron DSA
Salvador Espinoza, Austin DSA
Michael G., Austin DSA
Bob Cash, Austin DSA
Paul J Baicich, Baltimore DSA
Beth Huang, Boston DSA
Russell Weiss-Irwin, Boston DSA
Tom Canel, Boston DSA
Kris Record, Boston DSA
Paul Garver, Boston DSA
Mark Schaeffer, Capital District NY DSA
Galen Heins, Electoral Committee Co-chair, Capital District NY DSA
Peter Warren, Co-chair, Capital District NY DSA
James Bhandary-Alexander, Central CT DSA
Mark Alper, Central NJ DSA
Dana Kleifield, Executive Committee member, Chicago DSA
Ron Baiman, Co-Chair, West Cook Branch, Chicago DSA
Matt Cotten, Branch Secretary, West Cook, Chicago DSA
Michael A. Dover, North Star Caucus, Cleveland DSA
Neil Bhaerman, Columbus DSA
Adam Parsons, Coordinating Committee (At-Large), National Electoral Committee, Columbus DSA
David R, Communications Chair, Columbus DSA
Nick B, Chapter Treasurer, Denver DSA
Diana Hussein, Steering Committee (at-large), Detroit DSA
Dick Olson, Detroit DSA
Bridget Huff, Detroit DSA
Renée Paradis, Past member National Bernie Committee, former member National Electoral Committee, East Bay DSA, Socialist Majority Caucus
Shane Ruiz, East Bay DSA
Allie Lahey, Co-Chair, East Bay DSA, SC of Socialist Feminist Working Group
Michael Nye, Former Steering Committee Member, East Bay DSA
Bonnie Lockhart, East Bay DSA
Karl Knobler, East Bay DSA
Michael Kaufman, East Bay DSA
Mike Hickey, East Bay DSA
Susan Chacin, Former NPC, East Bay DSA
Bryan Giardinelli, Inland Empire DSA
Becca Rast, Lancaster DSA
Jonathan Smucker, Lancaster DSA
Malcolm Greer, Las Vegas DSA
Hannah Allison, National Political Committee, Socialist Majority Caucus, Lawrence KS DSA
Sam Allison-Natale, Lawrence DSA
Maikiko James, National Political Committee, Socialist Majority Caucus, Los Angeles DSA
Ryan Andrews, Los Angeles DSA
Brandon Rey Ramirez, AFROSOC Executive Committee, Los Angeles DSA
Lenny Potash, Los Angeles DSA
Dan Lutz, Lower Hudson Valley NY DSA
Vanessa Agudelo, Former co-chair, Lower Hudson Valley NY DSA
Cole Caulfield, Treasurer, Lower Hudson Valley NY DSA
Cori Madrid, Lower Hudson Valley NY DSA
Michael Zagarell, Lower Hudson Valley NY DSA
Laura Zagarell, Lower Hudson Valley NY DSA
Essie, Electoral Working Group co-chair, Madison DSA
Eric Robertson, Metro Atlanta DSA
Shelley Berlin, Metro Atlanta DSA
Milton Tambor, Past chair, Metro Atlanta DSA
Tim Zhu, Socialist Majority, Metro DC DSA
Jonah Furman, Metro DC DSA
Margaret McLaughlin, National Electoral Committee, Metro DC DSA
David Cann, Metro DC DSA
Carl Goldman, Metro DC DSA
Sam Rosenthal, Metro DC DSA
Bob Feldman, Montgomery County branch, Metro DC DSA
Max B. Sawicky, Metro DC DSA
Kurt Stand, Metro DC DSA
Ingrid Goldstrom, Montgomery County branch, Metro DC DSA
Jules Bernstein, Metro DC DSA
Woody Woodruff, Prince George's County branch, Metro DC DSA
Carolyn Byerly, Metro DC DSA
Noah Baron, Metro DC DSA
Jack Clark, Metro DC DSA
Kristian Berhost, Montgomery County Branch, Metro DC DSA
Badili Jones, Miami-Dade DSA
Maxwell Love, Milwaukee DSA
Kevin R., NPC, Socialist Majority, NC Piedmont DSA
Maggie Johnston, Branch Officer, NC Piedmont DSA
Wamiq Chowdhury, NC Piedmont DSA
Jeffrey Barrois, New Orleans DSA
Liz Henderson, New Orleans DSA
Paul Friedman, North Jersey DSA
Dave Hancock, North Jersey DSA
David J Rathke, Northern IL DSA
David Duhalde, NYC DSA
Eric Blanc, NYC DSA
Abdullah Younus, National Political Committee Member, NYC DSA
Dana Steer, NYC DSA
Megan Svoboda, NPC, NYC DSA
Neal Meyer, NYC DSA
Fainan Lakha, NYC-DSA Steering Committee, NYC-DSA
Sam Lewis, National Electoral Committee, Socialist Majority Caucus Steering Committee, NYC-DSA
Alexander McCoy, NYC DSA
Osman Chaudhary, NYC DSA
Maxine Phillips, Bronx/Upper Manhattan Branch, NYC DSA, co-editor, "Religious Socialism"
Daniel L, NYC DSA
Miriam Bensman, NYC DSA
Justine Medina, previous Queens Co-Chair, co-founder Queens Electoral Working Group, NYC DSA
Phillip Golub, NYC DSA
Molly Crabapple, Lower Manhattan branch, NYC DSA
Renee Greene Levitt, Bronx/Upper Manhattan branch, CLC alternate, NYC DSA
Daniel Millstone, NYC DSA
Steven Sherman, North Brooklyn branch, NYC DSA
Alex Hastings, Labor Branch organizing committee, NYC DSA
Susan Kang, NYC-DSA Steering Committee Member, NYC DSA
Liza Featherstone, Central Brooklyn branch, NYC DSA
Stephen Maples, NYC DSA
David Unger, NYC DSA
Jeannie Thai, NYC DSA
Hunter Boone, NYC DSA
Peter Hogness, Central Brooklyn branch, NYC DSA
Josh Youngerman, North Brooklyn branch, NYC DSA
Robert Cuffy, National Executive Committee of AfroSocialist caucus, Organizing Committee member of NYC DSA Labor Branch & AfroSocialist Caucus
John Ferretti, Labor Branch, NYC DSA
Jay Schaffner, Lower Manhattan branch, NYC DSA
Andy Ratto, Central Brooklyn branch, NYC DSA
Brandon West, Central Brooklyn branch, NYC DSA
Itzhak Epstein, NYC DSA
A Sen, International Committee, NYC DSA
Michael Kinnucan, Brooklyn Electoral Working Group Organizing Committee, NYC DSA
Maia Rosenberg, NYC DSA Healthcare WG OC, NYC DSA
Annie Levin, NYC DSA
Arash Azizi, Editorial Board of Socialist Forum, Lower Manhattan Branch, NYC DSA
Michael Spear, NYC DSA
Devin McManus, Treasurer, Steering Committee, NYC DSA
Jon Mermelstein, Bronx/Upper Manhattan branch, NYC DSA
Alan Bounville, Central Brooklyn branch, NYC DSA
Ivan Willig, NYC DSA
Patrick Shepherd, NYC DSA
Michele Rossi, DSA North Star, Steering Committee, Philly DSA
Brianna Westbrook, Phoenix DSA At-large officer, DSA Southwest co-chair of Immigrants' rights working group
Rebecca Garelli, DSLC Steering Committee, Phoenix DSA
Sanjiv Gupta, National Political Education Committee, Pioneer Valley DSA
Michael Ash, Pioneer Valley DSA
D.W. Stratton, Pioneer Valley DSA
David Kotz, International Committee, Pioneer Valley DSA
Ed Collins, Pioneer Valley DSA
Jonathan Saloio, Pioneer Valley DSA
Ken Harstine, Pioneer Valley DSA
Prudence Grand, Pioneer Valley DSA
Dan Kinsey, Pioneer Valley DSA
Jeff Napolitano, Pioneer Valley DSA
Rafael Ash, Co-Chair and Co-Founder of ARHS YDSA, Pioneer Valley DSA
Ed Collins, Pioneer Valley DSA
GL Johnson, Pittsburgh DSA
James Hughes, Co-chair, Quiet Corner (NE CT) DSA
Duane Campbell, Co Chair, Immigrants Rights Working Group, North Star Caucus, Sacramento DSA
James J. Jackson, Jr., Former Co-chair of Sacramento DSA, 100k Captain, Sacramento DSA
Peter Olney, DSLC Steering Committee, San Francisco DSA
Buck Bagot, San Francisco DSA
Timothy Sears, Seattle DSA
Christopher Ottolino, STL DSA Co-chair, NEC member, St. Louis DSA
Adam, St. Louis DSA
James H Williams, Tacoma DSA
Darrylynn Penney, Tacoma DSA
Zack Pattin, DSLC Steering Committee, Tacoma DSA
Matthew Weinstein, Tacoma DSA
John Heppen, Twin Cities DSA
William Barclay, SC member, Ventura County DSA
Peg Strobel, former NPC, Ventura County DSA
David Schlitt, Whatcom County DSA
Alexander Hernandez, Immigrants’ Rights Working Group co-chair, at-large member
Jared Abbott, DSA International Committee Steering Committee
NEXT STEPS FOR SIGNATORIES:
1) On Wednesday, October 14th New York City DSAers are phonebanking for comrades who are running for downballot office in Philadelphia. This can help do general turnout for the whole Democratic ticket. Link:
https://www.facebook.com/events/s/gotv-rally-and-phonebank/754970582017314/?ti=icl2) Participate in United Against Trump activities to defeat the President - a coalition of progressive groups that in part grew out of the People Power for Bernie formation - committed to stopping Trump's re-election. Link:
www.unitedagainsttrump.org3) Spread the word about election protection trainings (poll watching, de-escalation, know your rights) through The Frontline & the Center for Popular Democracy. Links:
https://www.mobilize.us/thefrontline/event/321224/ &
https://www.mobilize.us/cpda/event/338072/4) Encourage people to join DSA as part of our recruitment drive knowing that many people considering joining us deeply care how we as members relate to the effort to defeat Trump, defend voting rights, and fight voter suppression. Link:
https://100k.dsausa.org/dashboard